“Erlanger is not for sale” remains the mantra after a private equity firm presented Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger with a $475 million offer last week to buy Chattanooga’s public hospital system.
Coppinger said representatives from Pennsylvania-based StoneBridge Healthcare, a new company aiming to buy distressed urban and suburban hospitals, scheduled an unsolicited meeting with him about three weeks ago to discuss the future of Erlanger Health System.
“They called and said they wanted to come in and talk about Erlanger hospital – that’s not that unusual,” Coppinger said.
The group spent about an hour discussing the company’s intentions before adjourning without further communication, he said.
Former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker joined Coppinger, along with Coppinger’s chief of staff, to offer insight and another set of eyes.